The Thompson Library & Archives Blog

Liz Svoboda Named Michigan’s Academic Librarian of the Year for 2025

Posted on behalf of Dr. Jennifer Dean, Director of the Thompson Library.

Thompson Library’s Senior Associate Librarian Liz Svoboda was already a familiar face at the 2025 Michigan Academic Library Association’s (MiALA) Annual Conference, held at the Riverfront Conference Center May 18-20, 2025. In her role as co-chair of the Conference Planning Committee, Svoboda led local arrangements, and had been on site throughout ensuring that set-up was complete, participants and presenters had the information they needed, and that the myriad day-to-day details of the conference were addressed. On Monday, May 19, Svoboda was recognized in an additional way when she was named Michigan’s Academic Librarian of the Year by MiALA Past-President and Chair of the MiALA Awards Committee Darlene Johnson-Bignotti. Johnson-Bignotti noted that the committee had been impressed with Svoboda’s commitment  and contributions to both the university and greater Flint communities throughout her career at UM-Flint, and the many important projects she had spearheaded in the past year. Though Svoboda had been quite visible in MiALA this past year in her conference co-chair role, she had already been active in MiALA since 2018 and was well-known to many. Notably, Svoboda had served as Chair of MiALA’s Access Services Interest Group at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic. Access Services librarians and library staff work directly with the public, and Svoboda’s work with this interest group was a lifeline as library colleagues used their collective experience and knowledge of their students, faculty, and staff to navigate the many changes and considerations necessary to keep a library safely open and available at this difficult time.

Svoboda was nominated for the award by Thompson Library and Archives Director Jennifer Dean, who noted that Svoboda met and exceeded MiALA’s award criteria. Dean noted Svoboda’s commitment and achievement as a librarian and an educator, as a collaborator and a partner, and as a key resource on the UM-Flint campus. Dean highlighted Svoboda’s recent work on the Late Night at the Library event in partnership with Student Government, reinvigoration of the Thompson Library and Archives Newsletter, and growth of the library’s Paws for Stress Relief program in partnership with Mid-Michigan Therapy Dogs as evidence of her ongoing achievements.

The award recognizes the outstanding accomplishments of a MiALA member and their contributions to their institution and to academic libraries within the 2024-25 academic year. Criteria for the Academic Librarian of the Year Award include:

• Innovative service to their institution and/or community, which has enhanced the value and visibility of the library
• Promoting collaboration among libraries, librarians, and other key stakeholders
• Demonstrating leadership in professional activities
• Initiating leading edge ideas that can be replicated in other libraries
• Serving as a mentor and/or empowering other colleagues or staff to achieve significant professional growth
• Serving as a catalyst in special areas such as instruction, library innovation, outreach, and/or equity, diversity and inclusion.

Svoboda truly exemplifies this award and her colleagues at the Thompson Library and Archives and around the state are thrilled to see her work recognized. Though the award was announced at the MiALA conference and through MiALA's June newsletter, Svoboda will receive the official recognition, including a statuette and cash award, with other Michigan library community award winners at a gala event in October during the 2025 Annual Conference of the Michigan Library Association (MLA) in Lansing.